[EKUAlum05]

I would argue that Lawrence County returns as much as Belfry, they lose a couple of lineman but that’s it. I’m not saying Lawrence is better than Belfry but they do return as much on both sides of the ball and even several of guys who were injured.

I always appreciate your eternal positivity and optimism for all things LC and you have a LOT to look forward to not only this year but next year as well as the Bulldogs have plenty of Junior and Sophomore talent. I think if Lawrence can develop a little more speed and big play ability as a result in the off-season after a summer of conditioning and hard work they have a chance to be a sneaky team for sure!

With that said, the fact LC loses two of their top defenders alone means they don't return as much as Belfry. That's even crazy to think of because there probably is not a team in KY who wishes they returned as much as LC heading out of Summer.

Add in the fact that Belfry is not only returning all these starters, a bunch of these guys are going into their third if not fourth year of starting.

The craziest stat of all is Belfry gained 5,035 yards of total offense and scored a very respectable 73 total offensive TD's in 2024 between Varney's passing and the Belfry running game.

Of that production, they lose on 9 yards of rushing (they do lose a kid who had a single catch for 44 yards) and no TD's scored. 

Now all this only matters so much. Coach Varney has never coached a game as HC and has to get these guys bought in, and if Belfry cannot patch the same holes they had on defense then I am not sure they want any part of a Mayfield, Beechwood, or LCA. With that said, I could see JB Woolum taking a big step forward, I could see Jaydon Muncy stepping in and becoming a great player on defense, and JJ Austin became a certified star at FB at the end of the season. Belfry has potential to do big, big things.. all of the 2A powers I listed above have massive holes to fill and most have coaching change as well.